Eternal Life:Life After Death as a

Medical,Philosophical, and

Theological Question

Resurrection of the Dead?Part 2

October 19, 2014

Organization Name

The Hebrew BibleIn Jewish literature there is found an

eschatological hope of resurrection.What is “eschatology”?The word arises from the Greek ἔσχατος eschatos meaning "last" and –logy meaning "the study of", first used in English around 1550. The Oxford English Dictionary defines eschatology as "The department of theological science concerned with ‘the four last things: death, judgment, heaven and hell’."

The Hebrew Bible: Daniel The Book of Daniel is the oldest undisputed reference to the

resurrection of the dead in the whole Hebrew Bible.

Daniel 12: 1 - 3 "At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of

your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book.

2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

3 Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

The Hebrew Bible: Daniel Although the story of Daniel takes place in

Babylon in the 6th century BCE, most scholars believe it was written in Israel during the 2nd century.

The Hebrew Bible: Daniel During the 2 century BCE in Israel, Israel was

ruled by the Seleucid Empire, a Hellenistic empire that enforced Greek culture and religion at the expense of Judaism.

The Seleucid ruler of the time, Antiochus IV Epiphanes (who ruled from 175 – 164 BCE) , in order to consolidate his empire and strengthen his hold over the region of Israel, outlawed Jewish religious rights and traditions kept by observant Jews, and ordered the worship of Zeus as the supreme God.

The Hebrew Bible: DanielA statue of Zeus was placed inside the Jewish temple in

Jerusalem to be worshipped in place of God. This event, among others led to the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucids.

Model of Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem – destroyed 70 CE

Although story is set in Babylon, it is really a commentary on current events in 2nd century Israel.

The author of Daniel responded to the distress of Israel that in an end time, Israel would be saved.

A new feature: the dead will rise, both the Jewish martyrs and their persecutors.

Understanding of resurrection at the time: the dead will rise complete human beings into this present existence going on endlessly.

The Hebrew Bible: Daniel

The four books of Maccabees are found in the Apocrypha.

1 Maccabees tells the story of the Jewish military revolt against the Seleucid occupying forces. Lots of battles!

The Hebrew Bible: 1,2,3,4 Maccabees

2 Maccabees contains the accounts of seven Jewish brothers who were martyrs and their mother. The story of the martyrs works out a theology of resurrection.

2nd brother exclaims: “the King of the world will raise us up…to live again forever.”

Differs with Daniel: In Daniel, resurrection is at the end of time (eschatological). Here, resurrection follows death. This idea gained crucial importance in the later belief of Jesus of Nazareth and his resurrection.

The Hebrew Bible: 2 Maccabees

The 3rd brother said that heaven gave him his limbs and from God “I hope to receive them again.”

Important – this gives concrete expression to the bodily character of resurrection.

The 4th brother says that although the just will be resurrected, for the unjust there will be no “new life”

Differs with Daniel: In Daniel, there is resurrection for the unjust “to disgrace.” Here, there is only everlasting death for the wicked.

The Hebrew Bible: 2 Maccabees

The speeches of the mother form the climax in the argument for resurrection.

“It is the creator of the world…who in his mercy…will give you back both breath and life.”

“Observe heaven and earth…God made them out of what did not exist”

The Hebrew Bible: 2 Maccabees

In the Hebrew Bible, the whole person is raised by an act of God, a miracle of new creation in God’s fidelity.

For Daniel and Macabees, resurrection vindicates God’s justice toward individuals and Israel.

It is not clear what the fate of the resurrected person would be – this is worked out in later apocalypses.

In death, body and soul are never separated – the dead return to life in their total humanity, with a body.

Hebrew Biblical Theology

1 Macabees had no awareness of resurrection; the dead heroes only lived on in people’s memory.

In the time of Jesus (approximately 150 years following the time of the Macabees) the Sadducees (an influential group of Jewish theologians) deny there is resurrection. The reason for the Sadducee’s denial was because resurrection was not something specifically addressed in the Torah.

Though faithful Jews did not all accept belief in the resurrection at that time, many do today.

But – context is important…

During the time of Jesus, there was not one prevailing theology of resurrection, but several (the Pharisees believed in resurrection, the Sadducees did not, etc.)

For those who believed in resurrection, they believed differently about it:Some believed the resurrection of the all

before the last judgment, others only the just after judgment.

Some believed all were raised, others believed that only the just were raised from the dead.

…and, there are no easy answers.

What next?

October 26 The Resurrection of Jesus: Resurrection as an event.

Next Week